Artica (series)

The Artica series is a collection of five PWADs by Mike Watson (Cyb), created from December 1998 to April 2000. In them, he experimented with Boom and MBF features.

The action takes place on an icy planet called Artica, which was long ago overrun by demons. Most maps contrast gothic structures built by the demons with snowy exteriors and ice caverns.

Artica 1
Two maps for Boom-compatible ports, making use of Boom's friction and deep water effects, as well as silent, instantaneous floor-lowering and raising effects for a little crate puzzle in a warehouse. Most of the map's structures are built of green marble.

The second map only features an arena for a boss fight against a spiderdemon, where the player is hampered by the slippery ice floor. Once the boss is vanquished, the player can access an exit room consisting of a large stairway to a warp field. Firing a couple of rockets in the teleporter triggers the exit.

Artica 2
One map for MBF-compatible ports, showcasing friendly monsters. Starting from there, DeHackEd code is present and embedded in the wad as a lump. Here, all the DEHACKED lump does is change the imp into a partially invisible monster which shoots arachnotron plasma balls, and replace the yellow key messages by green key messages. The modified imp enemy is not actually used, but a green key is featured.

The map features a friendly baron of Hell which can be freed from its prison or killed.

The single map continues on from where Artica 1 ended, in the exit room of Artica MAP02. This time, the player has to run across the stairway to jump through the warp field. He then explores a wooden structure until discovering a large teleporter.

Artica 3
One map for MBF again, where the series starts developing some sort of plot. Thanks to the internal DEHACKED lump, the player emerges weaponless and critically wounded from the teleporter at the end of Artica 2. A friendly imp and a trio of friendly chaingunners can be found on the map.

The marine must acquire a weapon and make his way through the map to find a switch that will open a door right at the beginning. Deep water and increased friction are used together to create deep snow, and the radiation shielding suit is turned into a Scuba suit to go through another area of deep water safely. Conveyor belts and colormaps are used as well.

Artica 4
Another map for MBF, and the last of the series proper. Continuing from Artica 3, the marine explores Artican labs in which he can unleash a friendly cyberdemon against a pack of Hell knights, and has to battle miniature demons and spectres. There, he finds a gateway to Hell where he can find "demon eggs" that let him throw his own miniature demons against his enemies. Scripting through voodoo dolls on conveyor belts is used in a few places, as well as silent teleportations and even a mid-texture bridge.

Artica B
A remake of Artica 1 merging both maps into a single one. Instead of having the spiderdemon sitting on the keys needed to open the exit, a DEHACKED lump is included which opens the exit door after boss death, using tag 666 and the A_KeenDie codepointer. There are no other major changes.